memorable. From the following Table it appears that the excessive rain-fall was in a great measure peculiar to the west of Scotland. Of nine different stations, representing the east, north, central, and western districts, it will be observed that the quantity of rain was in excess chiefly, and in the order stated, in Glasgow, Cumbrae, Paisley, Bute, Greenock, and Largs.*

TABLE I.—COMPARATIVE RAIN-FALL IN JULY, AUGUST, AND SEPTEMBER, 1861, IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF SCOTLAND.

TABLE II.—RAIN-FALL AT GREENOCK, BRISBANE GLEN, LARGS, AND CUMBRAE, FOR THE YEAR 1861.

more than double. The The mean number of The greatest depths are 15.21; Stronvar, 12.85;

The mean depth of rain for the whole country during the month of August was, in inches, 6.57; being 32 inches above the average, or considerably mean depth at places in the west was 9.45; in the east, 4.31. days on which rain fell was 25 in the west and 20 in the east. recorded at Tarbet, 21.25 inches; Tyndrum, 17.10; Fortree, and Balloch Castle, 12-11: the least at Thurston, 2.10; and generally at stations south of the Forth. The greatest individual falls were, Wanlockhead, 149 inches on the 11th, 2.91 on the 18th; Paisley, 2.22 on the 12th; Portree, 1.80 on the 25th; and Douglas Castle, 1.70 on the 12th.

During the three months of July, August, and September, the rain-fall at Tarbet, on Lochlomond, was 41.09 inches; Portree, in Skye, 38.03 inches; Tyndrum, 33.70 inches; Stronvar, on Loch Voil, 26.00 inches; and Wanlockhead, 25.67 inches.-Report of Meteorological Society of Scotland.

1234 COM

36°

29°

45° 35°

50°

46°

58° 46°

59°

40

36

22

53

11

On the Distribution of Marine Algae on the C. L. T. Buoys in the Clyde. By JOHN GRIEVE, M.A., M.D.; and MR. DAVID ROBERTSON, Glasgow.

THE channel of the Clyde from Port-Glasgow to the Cumbraes and the Garrochhead is marked by certain buoys under charge of the Cumbrae Light Trust, and of course laid down in the Admiralty charts. Once a-year, at midsummer, a tug steamer is sent down to lift and remove them. The buoy, which in the course of a year has become covered with algae and mussels, is disengaged, hoisted on board, and a clean one lowered and fastened in its place. Its compass bearings are then taken, and adjusted if necessary.

One of these buoys, called the Tan buoy, is situated off the S.W. point of the Great Cumbrae, about one and a-half miles from Millport. Upon it the Polysiphonia Brodici has been found growing in considerable abundance, and in great luxuriance, for many seasons back. It is a plant rarely met with on the adjacent shores of the island. The buoy, however, seems to be a station in some way suited to its habit; and though the new one will be found quite clean two months after it has been laid down, vegetation soon begins to grow over it; the little spores, having found their way through the sea, lodge on the rough surface of the paint; and if examined in early spring, it will be covered with algæ, among which we have strong expectations of finding this same Polysiphonia.

The botany of the buoys is somewhat similar to that of the rockpools near low-water. The algae are not exposed to tidal influence, as they rise and fall with the buoy, and of course are never subject to those changes which seem to be necessary for the healthy growth of many species. They agree most closely with those which are never left bare, nor are yet far removed from the surface; next with those at low-water-mark; and least of all, with those near high-water-mark which undergo only a short period of submersion.

Having frequently examined the Tan buoy in our dredging excursions, we became desirous of ascertaining whether the Polysiphonia Brodiæi was growing on the buoys on the opposite side of the frith, and also how far up the river the algae of this buoy could be obtained. It is always interesting to compare the plants or animals which are found in stations similarly situated, but in different localities, whether this be done on a large or a small scale, in reference to their general or merely their local distribution. In the Frith of Clyde the buoys present so many stations similarly constituted in every respect, but differing in

the locality of their situation, each, as we ascend the river, becoming more and more exposed to the influence of fresh or brackish water.

As the easiest way of accomplishing this investigation, we obtained permission to accompany the tug steamer in her annual excursion. Not to lose any opportunity, however, we rowed over from Millport to the Hunterston buoy on the 14th of June last, and again to the Fairley buoy on the 17th, examining the algae in both cases as far down as could be reached. On the morning of the 18th, at 2.45, we got on board the tug steamer "Glasgow," which had come in for us on the previous evening. At 3 we started, and were soon alongside the Tan buoy. After lifting it, and putting down a clean one in its place, we proceeded to the buoys off Kerritonlia Point and Bogany Point in Bute, Toward Point, Strone Point, and to the Shoals buoy below the Tail of the Bank, thence to No. 3 buoy, opposite the timber ponds, a little below Port-Glasgow, returning to Greenock about 3.45 p.m.

We thus examined nine of these buoys, and obtained on them nineteen genera and thirty-nine species of algae. No doubt many of the more minute plants escaped our notice, as during the removal of the buoys we had little more than time to pick off what was at once conspicuous to the eye.

The following Table exhibits the distribution of these alge on the different buoys, with the number of species on each buoy, and the number of buoys on which each species was obtained :—